A Vibrant Seattle Through Transportation Excellence.

We’re excited to announce that after three successful years of piloting the People Street program and with your feedback, Seattle, the program returns in 2018!

The Seattle People Street program supports Seattle neighborhoods to activate temporary, pedestrian-only streets by closing off certain city blocks to vehicles and opening them up for:

Pedestrian Access

Making a more welcoming, accessible, and comfortable pedestrian environment.

People Street’s open space for people to gather.

Business Engagement

Developing a free and streamlined process to allow food service businesses within the pedestrian street footprint to operate a temporary outdoor café during the street closure to take advantage of the extra space.

Host an outdoor café like Quinn’s Pub did!

Community Activation

Inviting community members and groups to use and activate the improved street closure barricades activities including pianos in the park, yoga, art displays, and a variety of musical performances to name a few!

Live music during Pike People Street.

Host a people street this summer!

For the next iteration of the program we’re expanding the People Street opportunity to other neighborhoods across the city. Interested communities need to submit a detailed proposal by March 2, 2018, to be considered for People Street summer 2018! We’ll use a competitive selection process to select up to three different communities, to host up to ten People Street closures in total for 2018.

For decades, Seattle Center and KeyArena have been hosting major events and millions of visitors per year in our region. That’s why the prospect of continuing the tradition with a revitalized KeyArena is so exciting.

Transit Option:

KeyArena is in the bustling, transit-rich Uptown neighborhood adjacent to Downtown and South Lake Union (SLU), with lots of bus lines and rail connections. There are over 80 bus lines originating from every corner of the city and converging around SLU, Westlake, and Uptown near KeyArena with easy transfer opportunities from many Seattle neighborhoods like the:

By bus, you can get from the Ballard neighborhood (Leary Way & NW Market Street) to KeyArena in 28 minutes or from West Seattle’s Alaska Junction to KeyArena in about 45 minutes.

Rail Option:

You can also get to KeyArena by Link light rail from downtown Westlake and transfer to the Monorail. The Monorail goes directly to Seattle Center and then a five-minute stroll through the ped-friendly park grounds to Key Arena. When the KeyArena opens in 2020, you’ll be able to seamlessly transfer from light rail to Monorail using your Orca card!

Link Light rail service, which currently serves South Sea-Tac’s Angle Lake to Seattle’s Husky Stadium, is set to expand its reach in 2021 (just a year after the revamped KeyArena opens). This will bring new light rail stations to U. District, Roosevelt, and Northgate – giving tens of thousands of N. Seattle residents improved access to KeyArena.

In 2023, Link light rail service will expand again with a completely new light rail line to open in the Eastside suburbs, providing direct transit access to KeyArena for people in Bellevue and Redmond. All told, light rail will run 360 daily trips.

By 2024, Link light rail will expand further north to Lynnwood and further south to Federal Way, creating more opportunities for access to Key Arena via downtown Seattle. It’s also worth noting that in 2035, two light rail stations will open near SLU and Seattle Center, which is just a few blocks from the Arena.

Ultimately, leveraging all these existing transit investments around KeyArena—already a magnet for so many spots in our regional transportation network is a heads-up strategy for the future.

Pedestrian-Friendly Option:

The City’s infrastructure investments around KeyArena is also pedestrian-focused. With the new Uptown neighborhood plan to create walkable connections through to Seattle Center, the new green street design on Thomas St., and the refurbished and reopened Denny Park, we’re creating a seamless public realm in the heart of our city. Given that KeyArena is located at the heart of this urban upgrade– next to some of our city’s densest neighborhoods like Uptown, Belltown, and SLU, thousands of neighbors will have the option of strolling to events on pedestrian-friendly routes, dispersing foot traffic before and after.

Denny Park

This pro-pedestrian environment around the KeyArena is symbolic of another big plus about the Uptown location: Uptown is a hopping, mixed-use neighborhood that encourages visitors to “come early and stay late.” The crowds for KeyArena will have places to go and things to do beyond seeing their event, making the new arena just another part of the exciting Uptown business ecosystem.

Driving Option:

Mercer St. & Dexter Ave.

Driving to KeyArena is also an option. With 7,400 neighborhood parking spots, which has admittedly faced traffic challenges for big events, is also poised to be a reliable and practical option.

With the brand-new smart-technology system on Mercer, we’ve successfully decreased the time drivers sit in traffic along the corridor. Soon there will be three new major east-west corridors there. Currently, Denny and Mercer are the only major through streets between I-5 and Seattle Center. But when the Viaduct comes down in 2019, three new arterials will open: Harrison, Thomas, and John. In addition to providing more capacity, five major east-west I-5 connections will help disperse traffic before and after KeyArena events.

Investment Benefits:

In sync with the active, surrounding downtown neighborhood—upgrading KeyArena will simultaneously serve and build on the existing infrastructure for residents and businesses. This is a hallmark of efficient city planning. KeyArena is in the heart of the vibrant Uptown Arts & Cultural District that already entertains 12 million people every year.

Sam Assefa, director of the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development, says: “A new plan for Uptown will create more walkable streets, active storefronts with restaurants, and a transit-oriented neighborhood with great connections to the entire region.”

When voters approved the Levy to Move Seattle in 2015, they knew they would be seeing a lot of projects over nine years.

With levy-funded construction ramping up, SDOT made it a priority to continue saying thank you to Seattle voters. As you’re walking, cycling, or driving past levy projects, you will likely see signs like this saying exactly that, thank you!

Many of these projects wouldn’t be possible without voter-approved levy dollars.

And once a project is complete, it gets SDOT’s version of the Hollywood Star – our stamp of approval.

If you see a Move Seattle stamp as you’re passing through the city, share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. At the end of nine years, we want to have a collection of crowd-sourced Move Seattle stamp photos from projects all over the city.

Pardon the cliché, but we really do think good things come in small packages. Like the community parks created thru the Pavement to Parks program for instance. Since 2015 we’ve created eleven little parks, helping bring neighbors together and provide outdoor space for people of all ages to play.

People love the heck out of our city and are moving here at the rate of 1,000 newbies a week! As Seattle grows denser, the need for vibrant public space becomes more important than ever. Pavement to Parks helps to solve that need by establishing community-driven gathering spaces from underutilized street space.

The newest park, in Little Saigon, opened in September. Designed by the community, it features images from Vietnamese folklore and provides the perfect place to enjoy lunch from one of the neighboring restaurants.

Shall we play a game? You may also recognize this one on Capitol Hill on Summit Avenue E.

Two more parks are scheduled to be added soon, in Lake City and Downtown Seattle. Use this map to see all the Pavement to Parks locations. We challenge you to visit them all!

In a city already well-known for its breathtaking views, this fall as part of Art Interruptions 2017we proudly add 7 more extraordinary sights along the Delridge Neighborhood Greenway and Connector Trail in West Seattle. Now through January, we encourage you to view all 7 art installations by foot or bike, whether you are commuting to work or taking a pleasant weekend stroll. The artwork ranges from the whimsical to the thought provoking, incorporating themes of ecology, history and social justice.

On Saturday, October 7, 2017 we invite you to join us on a casual guided walk as we explore the art and meet the artists along the way. Hosted by the City of Seattle and led by Feet First from 10 a.m. to noon, the walk begins at Cottage Grove Park (5206 26th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106). Individuals of all ages and abilities are encouraged to join us for this artistic stroll through West Seattle!

Family Friendly Event

Face Painter!

Playground site for artwork scavenger hunt complete with sea creatures and prizes!

2 Casual guided walks will begin at 10am

1.8-mile tour of all 7 highlighted art pieces (Transportation back to Cottage Grove Park from tour end point will be provided for participants who need accommodations)

This Friday, September 15th, from 9am to 7pm, you may see something like this next to the curb:

Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal once a year in Seattle – on PARK(ing) Day! PARK(ing) Day is an international movement and a chance for people to come up with fun, new ways to occupy on-street parking spots (with permission, of course) and temporarily turn them into… a mobile art studio…

…a pop-up park…

…or whatever you can think of!

Come check out PARK(ing) Day! We even have a map so you can plan your route and see all the creative installations around the city. PARK(ing) Day is this Friday, September 15th between 9am and 7pm. You’ll see everything from arts and crafts to bike repair and snacks – or just find an awesome place to sit and relax! When you see something that inspires you, let others know #parkingdaySEA @parkingdaySEA

In the mood for art and dining outside this evening? Try Pike People Street and the Capitol Hill Art Walk, from 4PM to 10PM. Grab great food from local restaurants then stay for a bit of street ‘activation’ on the docket. It all supports a vibrant Capitol Hill community!For Pike People Street nights, a couple blocks around 11th and E Pike are cordoned off to create a safe, accessible pedestrian plaza of sorts. This is the 3rd year of the Pike People Street pilot program, evolving in partnership with the neighborhood. The 2017 schedule includes the 2nd Thursday of July and August, as well as July and August Saturdays.Saturday Pike People Street hours are 6PM to 3AM, with three left to go:August 12, 19, and 26.

Got an idea for a cool activity, to add in during one of the last Pike People Street Saturdays? Fill out this simple application form. These temporary pedestrian spaces create room for bands, yoga, viewing art, visiting a local café, or simply enjoying warm summer nights.

Meaningful space for neighborhoods to share is an important part of community building. SDOT’s Adaptive Streets Program works toward that end, facilitating possibilities like using underutilized right of way for new gathering places. The latest effort came last week in the Rainier Vista neighborhood, with the grand opening of a new Pavement to Parks project.

Colorful new park space at Rainier Vista!

The project repurposes part of S Genesee St between 29th Avenue S and Jill Place S for an expanded park space, including planters, seating, turf mounds, and a street mural–designed by local youth involved in an arts program through Horn of Africa Services. The project was community-driven and community-designed. Built under SDOT’s Adaptive Streets Program, the project uses low-cost, adaptable materials to test a public space on the street before permanent changes take place.

The site was selected for improvements based on neighborhood requests and a very engaged and highly diverse Rainier Vista community joined together to create the project.

SDOT Director Kubly and Mayor Murray at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

For the November 3 ribbon-cutting event, the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) Rainier Vista community was joined by Mayor Ed Murray, SHA Director Andrew Lofton, an SHA youth community leader, and SDOT Director Scott Kubly to celebrate the amazing work of so many.

SDOT is collaborating with the Growing Vine Street team to install a new public space in Belltown!

This Pavement to Parks project is part of the SDOT Adaptive Streets program and will use low-cost materials to repurpose part of Taylor Ave between 5th Ave and Denny Way for the “headwaters” of the Growing Vine Street project.

The pavement is painted from a bird’s eye view of a dense tree canopy with waters running beneath it. Concrete wash out bins, typically used on construction projects to protect stormwater, will be used as large planters. Tables, chairs and umbrellas will also be placed on site once the installation is complete.

Pavement to Parks projects are temporary installations, then we monitor over a two year period. If these spaces are deemed successful by the community, they can then be made permanent.

SDOT and the Growing Vine Street team hosted a community event this summer and received unanimous support for this project. SDOT also went door to door to neighboring businesses and residents, and received positive feedback. The concept builds off years of planning to repurpose this underutilized street space into a community open space.